Leader Dogs for the Blind helps South Florida see value of guide dogs

PALM BEACH, Fla. - Port St. Lucie resident Rondal Love has a new best friend.  

"It'll be two weeks on Saturday that we've been together," said Love.  

Love is legally blind, and sees the world as fractured, inconsistent parts of a whole.  

"There's a lot of times that I see when I least expect it, and fail to see when I want to," said Love. "I have to be very careful, because the fact that I do see some things will make me think that I see more than I actually do, and that can put me in dangerous situations."  

This makes Love an ideal match for Zeus, a guide dog provided free of charge, courtesy of Leader Dogs for the Blind, a Michigan-based company that's expanding it's winter training schedule to sunny South Florida.  

"Many of our clients live in warm weather environments, and don't normally have to deal with the snow and ice," said Jamie Togal, an instructor for the company. "So, instead of bringing them to Rochester, Michigan, into an environment that they're not used to, we figure we can do the training in a warm weather environment."

For the past two weeks, visually impaired clients from across the southern United States, and even as far away as Spain, worked with their new companions, establishing trust.  

"Completely confidant that she's going to do her job and keep me safe," said South Carolina resident, Charity Roach.  

Now, the group of students are preparing to return to their lives with a new set of eyes.  

"It's gone very quickly, but the school, Leader Dogs for the Blind, made an absolutely perfect match," said Love.  

Classes end on Thursday and everyone returns home Friday.  However, if everything goes as planned, Leader Dogs for the Blind will return to South Florida next year to continue their training.

For more information on Leader Dogs' training program, and how you can help, check out their website, www.leaderdog.org.